Cyberpunk Multiplayer

This is getting out of hand, now there are two of them!

I think that it's fair to say that CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077 is the most anticipated game of the past few years. Everybody has said their two piece in this matter. "The game looks revolutionary", "Like Deus Ex gone free roam", "CDPR's done it again!" All this positive coverage has blossomed and thrived despite the game not having released yet. Don't get me wrong, I have the fullest of faith in the CDPR team to pull of a spectacular game, afterall they've done it before, however I find it odd that we're still 6 months out from release and the conversation has already shifted to the follow-up game. With that in mind, let's look at Cyberpunk's prospective online mode.

For those unfamiliar with this project's history, fans became aware of a potential for online capabilities all the way back during the first presentation regarding the game. (I am choosing not to consider the original CG trailer as a 'presentation'.) In the slides, we saw many prospective features that were all we had to go on for figuring out what this mysterious game would hold for us. Many of these bullet points would end up getting scrapped in the following years of tumultuous development, but one which survived the editor's scalpel, apparently, was the line hinting at "seamless online functionality".

We wouldn't hear anymore until legal documents were filed in Poland detailing a framework for these kind of systems. At the time, you must remember, it had been several years since we'd last heard peep about Cyberpunk, and so everyone's imagination ran absolutely wild with speculation. From what I read at the time, I believe that the general consensus was that the online would be something similar to what we were promised for Watch_Dogs' online mode. (As opposed to the annoying system that we got.) We were expecting the type of game wherein other players could drop into our world without our knowledge and mess around with things or help us out to their discretion. Perhaps you could work together to pull of missions or subvert someone else's mission to your own profit. (This was the wild west of ideas.) A lot of people were excited about the possibilities of a seamless online component, whilst others, such as myself, were more worried that such a system would ruin the entire CD Projekt open world experience that we had come to love from the Witcher. Remember, we had played Watch_Dogs, we knew how seamless online could be incredibly disruptive if handled poorly. (So glad Ubisoft bought it back for Watch Dogs 2...)

However, as the years went by and people started to doubt if we'd ever get Cyberpunk at all, conservative estimates were assuming that such a feature would surely be cut. When Cyberpunk had a resurgence at E3 2018, this seemed to be all but confirmed. At this point we'd already seen Jason Schrier's exploratory report into the strife fueled development of this game. If there was ever a better example of "Building on wet concrete", (To use a quote coined in 'Getting over it with Bennet Foddy') I can't think of it. Every year the vision for the game seemed to shift dramatically with themes and features being torn out or put back in at random. Originally the game was penned at being a third/first person experience, similar to Bethesda titles, however that proved unfeasible with the scope of what they had planned, so they scrapped it. Wouldn't it make sense for the same to happen to an online mode that we hadn't heard anything about for years and which didn't even get a mention during the reveal trailer? Apparently not.

I say this because, almost a full year later, we now have confirmation that a Cyberpunk 2077 online game is on the slate due to an open casting call that CD Projekt Red made through their Twitter. The thing most certainly exists and CDPR are serious enough about it that they art willing to announce it on a public forum. (You could argue that they kind of did that years ago with their presentation and that amounted to nothing; but with the main game finally just around the corner, I'm more willing to give them the benefit of the doubt now.) Although, it's hard to say whether this will be an inbuilt game mode, similar to how things work with Rockstar's online games, or a standalone title altogether. (As a survivor of the 'FF15: Comrades' debacle, I pray for the latter.)

It's hard, nigh on impossible, to predict how this kind of multiplayer will play out considering that the main game hasn't even landed, but let's throw accuracy and caution to the wind and make some speculation. Firstly, we know that the game plan with Cyberpunk is for CDPR to release the game, load it with single player DLCs (some of which will be free) and then move onto the multiplayer release. (Which would seem to imply that the Multiplayer will be an integrated component of the Cyberpunk main game, but considering they only started openly hiring as soon back as September I think it's safe to say that things are still at the conceptual stage.) Taking all this into account, I think it'll probably make sense for Cyberpunk's Online to be a free roaming experience.

Recently we have had few ostensibly online games that have treated their cooperative/competitive content as a hybrid experience. Take "Ghost Recon: Breakpoint" for instance; in that game the core game is entirely single player, from there one can choose to take their avatar and move them online in an attempt to make the whole package feel cohesive. In contrast, Red Dead Online and GTA Online have entirely separate modes that present an entirely separate online space in which players can interact without it effecting their single player game. I feel CDPR will lean towards the latter model for their implementation, for no other reason then the fact that RDO and GTA O make more money than Ubisoft's games do. Sure, Ubi have built a model that makes it easier to hook players with recurrenecy and foster a live-service environment, but Rockstar have still run circles around them in terms of units sold and microtransaction sales. (Although one could attribute that less to the strength of their model and more to the brand recognition of Rockstar as a Developer.) 

I feel that separating these two modes in such a manner would allow CD a lot more freedom in what they can achieve through the singleplayer and multiplayer. Let me explain. In any Ubisoft game that features a Live service model, I know that the main character will survive the events of the story. How do I know this? Because that avatar needs to be the vehicle for several years worth of live-service hawking from the Ubisoft monetisation team. Nomad is going to overcome his 'Breakpoint', because he has to handle those raids that are dropping next January. the Space Pirates will elude the government of 'Beyond Good and Evil 2' because they have to tackle those 'universe shifting events' that the Devs have been teasing. No, I'm not saying that the threat of death is the only thing that can establish tension in storytelling, but it establishes an aura of sameness when you know that the character will exit their adventure in the same manner that they entered it. No character shifting situations will occur and no action will have any significant consequence. It's part of the reason why I believe that Ubisoft's model of game design is stifling to creativity.

Rockstar don't have to deal with that due to the shape of their online. They can, and have, deliver a heartfelt tale with their lead; Arthur, which takes players through a genuine journey which transforms that character in a manner that is influenced by his actions. Red Dead Redemption 2's narrative is an absolute powerhouse rollercoaster and any form of tacked on Ubisoftian 'Seamless Universe' would have hurt that story's potential. CD Projekt Red strike me as the kind of storytellers who would want V's story to be a high-tier ambitious affair with real stakes that they wouldn't want to sacrifice in order to meet some monetisation quota. Maybe I'm giving them a little too much slack, but I think they've earnt it in droves with their last two games.

Then again, maybe the lore of Cyberpunk is rife for an integrated live-service angle. By that I mean specifically the immutable fact that their protagonist, V, is a mercenary. No matter what background you choose, no matter your specializations, goals, or state of wealth, your V will be a mercenary. Such a position could serve as a ripe narrative vehicle for expanded content and I have no doubt that CDPR will use this as a springboard for their planned DLC. Could the same be said for the online experience? Right now it's hard to say. We do know, thanks to CD's recent Q&A, that the game will feature contract givers who will offer the player side missions should V choose to seek them out. Could they double as daily quest merchants down the line? It sounds cynical to say, but I think it could be a possibility. Afterall, we've not had another online game from these Devs before, who's to say that they won't go the 'daily quest' route? Although it would make me physically sick if another game tried to rope me in with a goddamn daily objective incentive. (I only just broke free of Red Dead Redemption 2's one.)

As for what content we can expect from an Online mode, this is where I get a little excited. Obviously, Cyberpunk boasts a lot of high octane first person shooter action with oodles of futuristic tech abilities, however, there is also a significant amount of gameplay choice in the world. We have comprehensive stealth mechanics and even an extensive collection of future cars with some of the best conceptual designs that I've ever seen dedicated towards fictional vehicles. Does this mean we'll get a variety of activities like the Rockstar's Online games offer? In those games you can participate in death matches, team shoot 'em ups, racing minigames and even simulated gambling. (Or actual gambling in GTA Online.) Maybe CDPR will choose to go this route, however my hope is that they take a leaf out of someone else's book.

I apologize for bringing up Ghost Recon yet again, but I feel it relevant to explain my reasoning here. You see, Ghost Recon has recently embraced the online world with it's own gamemode called Ghost War, which pits players in a various stealth based competitive scenarios that highlight the best of the series' gameplay features; stealth and tactical planning. Now, if Cyberpunk can do something similar in their neon futuristic urban environments, then we'll be in for something really special. Perhaps some sort of hacking-based deathmatch with all players playing a deadly game of cat and mouse, turning the seemingly harmless locale into a death trap whilst sneaking around it themselves. That's my kind of game.

Of course, there is also the potential for some cooperative action too. Seeing as how CD Projekt Red went to the effort to design, code and voice all of these NPC factions with the unique gaits and ability to scream blue murder after their heads have been exploded, why wouldn't they want to port some of that work into their online mode. Piggybacking off of that mercenary contract idea that I mentioned earlier, perhaps CDPR could have players taking particularly difficult assignments that require the cooperation of several differently spec-ed individuals to pull off. They could create a strike-esque gameplay sequence that ends in a boss with teamwork encouraging mechanics, like Borderlands 2's raid bosses. (Okay at this point by speculation is running rampant, I might as well wrap this up.) 

Even now, half a year away from launch, we have no idea what to expect regarding huge chunks of Cyberpunk 2077, and that's honestly one of my favourite things about this game. CDPR have played this all very close to their chests and I expect that to continue until that final trailer before launch. (Maybe in that one they'll actually mention the immortality inducing chip that we already know is the story's Mcguffin.) From a fan's perspective, this can seem a little annoying, but it does allow us the freedom to have fun in taking wild guesses about how things will end up. I'll admit, I'm more confident in CDPR's ability to deliver Cyberpunk 2077 than Cyberpunk Online, but won't stop me from hoping for the best from both products. Let's all hope that CDPR don't let us, or themselves, down.